More Than Witnesses: How a Small Group of Missionaries Aided Korea's Democratic Revolution

This site chronicles the stories behind the remarkable book "More Than Witnesses: How a Small Group of Missionaries Aided Korea's Democratic Revolution" which was featured at the Wisconsin Book Festival on October 3, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Madison, WI. Below are links to a video of the event, and associated media, as well as extensive background information.

Never Forget

Tales of Tragedy, Courage and Triumph in the Face of Violent Government Repression. Clockwise, from left: Book cover with photos of anthology contributors, all foreign missionaries in South Korea who spoke out and took action on behalf of Korean democracy; the eight men wrongly accused at their show trial of treason by the military regime in April 1975, just hours before being hanged; family members in mourning following the injustice; coming full circle, former outlawed democracy movement leader Kim Dae Jung is elected president in 1997.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Gene Matthews and More Than Witnesses at the Wisconsin Book FestivalAssociated Media

Above: Matt Rothschild, editor of the Progressive Magazine, introduces book co-author Gene Matthews, his longtime friend and colleague, in an Oct. 2010 reading at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Gene's presentation follows. Click on the image for part one of two.

Above: Gene Matthews reads from his book, and provides background commentary, in Part Two of Two of his presentation.

"Beliefs" was chosen asthe powerful theme for the 2010 Wisconsin Book Festival. And so festival organizers asked numerous authors, poets and other thinkers to reflect on the role beliefs have played in their lives. The multiplicity of perspectives there reflects one of the Wisconsin Humanities Council’s own deeply held beliefs: that when our beliefs get aired, shared and woven together, community life grows more vibrant and our individual lives are enriched.

That book festival theme of Beliefs is directly resonant with "More Than Witnesses," which tells the story of a courageous group of missionaries of diverse faiths living in Korea who faced an enormous series of challenges to their beliefs--indeed a dilemma at the very heart of what it means to put one's faith into action--when asked to take a stand by members of the South Korean democracy movement in facing down a brutally oppressive government.

In a crucial moment in recent history chronicled by the book, the wives of eight Korean men about to face execution following a show trial in 1975 for trumped up charges of treason (only one of whom identified as Christian) present the ultimate challenge to these missionaries and their beliefs: are you, a relative stranger in our land, willing to risk torture and interrogation, deportation, or even death to stand up for what is right?

How these missionaries met this challenge is a compelling and captivating story. At a time when renewed tensions between North and South Korea often dominate the international news, it's an untold story that needs to be told. In a post-9/11 world when the American people are faced with daunting dilemmas about whether to trade away their basic civil liberties in the name of national security, "More than Witnesses...." presents a cautionary tale with an important message for this time and place.

What Would You Do when faced with a choice of safety or being true to your beliefs? It's the kind of basic moral dilemma that holds a universal fascination, and one well worth contemplating. Please explore this site to learn more. And please take time to follow the link above to the video of "More Than Witnesses" contributing writer Gene Matthews, as he relates a powerful contemporary story about being true to one's self, and living out one's beliefs in the face of enormous odds.

Gene Matthews Describes the Unprecedented Collaborations That Went Into the Creation of "More than Witnesses"

Gene Matthews:

"There are several unique aspects of the book, one being the close cooperation and friendship of Catholic and Protestant missionaries. Perhaps more unique was the involvement of the Korea Democracy Foundation (KDF). When Kim Dae Jung was elected president he persuaded the National Assembly (South Korea’s unicameral legislative body) to establish and fund KDF with the stated purpose of recording and archiving Korea’s struggle to achieve democracy. As KDF began its task it discovered that rigid government censorship during the struggle meant that not many of the really crucial documents had been preserved. However, the Monday Night Group had amassed a large collection of such documents and pictures. There were some funny stories of hiding them in various attics and moving them from time to time to prevent the KCIA from discovering them. In the end, the great bulk of them had ended up in Rockford, Illinois at the home of Linda Jones (now deceased). In 2003, KDF invited a number of us back to Korea and Linda arrived with several suitcases full of documents. Later, before her death she shipped the remaining items to KDF as well.

"It was during that visit in 2003 that KDF first learned of the existence of the Monday Night Group. The KDF leadership conducted numerous interviews with us during that time and later persuaded one of the major television stations to send a crew to the US to interview several of us for a documentary about the democratic struggle."

Matthews continues:

"During the interviews and discussions with KDF suggestions began to emerge about the possibility of a book. I will not go into the whole process but when the decision was finally made to produce the book, KDF sent us a grant of $5000 to cover editorial costs and when the manuscript was ready published it in Korea in a Hardbound edition. They then translated it into Korean and it is still available in Korea in both English and Korean. KDF sent us 1000 copies which we rapidly distributed to churches and libraries around the country and when we decided to publish a somewhat revised Trade Paperback edition, KDF graciously released the copyright to us while retaining rights to continue publishing it in Korea.

"I have searched in vain for a situation in which a sovereign government through one of its agencies persuaded, financed and published a work by foreign missionaries."

Book Festival Event Coordinator, Madison Community Leader John Quinlan, Has Family Ties to the Missionary Experience in Korea, and Gene Matthews, Through his Father

John Quinlan is a longtime Madison community leader whose father, Robert Quinlan, served as a Methodist missionary in South Korea with featured festival speaker and co-author Gene Matthews. It was Bob Quinlan who met Gene upon his arrival in Korea in 1956, and helped to acclimate him. Bob returned to the States after serving for four years in Korea, administering war relief on behalf of the Methodist Church in a country in which 90 percent of the structures had been destroyed by war. Life in Seoul was very simple and often challenging, but Bob Quinlan fell in love with his country, as did his colleagues. Upon returning to the States, he experienced a kind of transformative culture shock. On a trip made shortly after his arrival home up the East Coast with this twin brother, Bob was shocked and repulsed by the obsession with materialism and self-centered attitudes of many of those he encountered in 1957 America. This was in stark contrast to the communitarian values and innate spirituality he had experienced in South Korea: living among people who had little, but who gave so much to those around them.

John's connection this summer with Gene Matthews has given him new insights into the path his father took, one that eventually led him to the ministry and a life of service to others. Bob Quinlan was ordained a Methodist pastor in 1962, eventually serving Wisconsin churches in Wild Rose, Wausau, New London, Green Bay, and Beaver Dam. He passed away from complications of surgery on June 9, 2010, at the age of 78.

George and Dorothy Ogle Sent Into Exile, As Ordinary South Koreans Implore them to "Go Forth and Tell Our Story"

John Quinlan, who also created this website, has also been privileged to connect in recent years with another of his father's colleagues from his Korean experience, George Ogle, now retired in Lafayette, Colorado with his wife Dorothy. George is the author of the first chapter in "More Than Witnesses" entitled, "Our Hearts Cry With You." He also has a strong Madison connection, having received his Master's and Doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1967 and 1973 respectively, using what he learned here to help empower members of the South Korean labor movement. His wife Dorothy, who became a leading advocate for Korean reunification upon her family's return to the U.S. in 1975, is a native of nearby Rockford, Illinois.

Shortly after leaving Madison and arriving back in South Korea in 1973, George and Dorothy Ogle were shocked to discover how a cloak of government oppression had descended over the country in their absence. From the pulpit, and as part of a group of missionaries known as the Monday Night Group who provided information about human rights abuses to foreign correspondents, they became very visible supporters of the nascent democracy movement. (These are experiences resonant with the stories of many of the missionaries of different faiths described in "More than Witnesses.") In 1974, in response to entreaties from the condemned men's wives, George spoke out in support of eight wrongly accused men who were eventually hanged for treason. George Ogle subsequently faced the wrath of the military government, and its agents, the Korean CIA. Faced with a brutal 32 hour interrogation, Ogle would not implicate others, and at the end of this process, he was summarily deported. Ordinary South Korean citizens, by and large, were then living in a state of great fear, potentially facing torture or death if they dared speak out against the human rights and civil rights abuses of their government.

And yet, two months later, as George's wife Dorothy was leaving to join George back in the States, a miracle happened. Hundreds showed up at the Seoul airport to see them off, many with signs that said simply "Go Tell Our Story." Many, inspired by the Ogles' courage, could remain silent no more.

In the years that followed, George and Dorothy Ogle became powerful advocates for South Korean democracy--and later for the peaceful reunification of the entire Korean peninsula--from their home base back in the U.S. The government's efforts to silence them had backfired. And more than two decades later in 1998, George Ogle returned to South Korea along with Gene Matthews, where both men witnessed the swearing-in of newly-elected South Korean President Kim Dae Jung. Shortly after, both men received awards from the pro-democracy group the new president had founded as a then-outlawed democracy movement leader. It was a coming full circle in a powerful way.

John Quinlan interviewed George and Dorothy Ogle in December 1997 on his Madison-based public affairs radio show, Forward Forum. He later transcribed that interview, for the following paper he submitted to a Korean Literature in Translation class at the UW-Madison. It describes in detail the courageous path taken by the Ogles, one mirrored in the chapter, "Our Hearts Cry With You."

Editor's Note: Event coordinator, and blog creator, John Quinlan is a Madison, Wisconsin-based consultant and journalist, who is the immediate past president of the United Nations Association of Dane County, and the 2008 recipient of the City of Madison's Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award. As mentioned above, John's father, the Rev. Robert Quinlan, passed away unexpectedly on June 9th of this year, and John spent much of the summer seeking a way to honor him. Learning of the publication of the book, "More than Witnesses," and the chosen theme of the Wisconsin Book Festival of "Beliefs," he put the two projects together, presenting a proposal that resulted in the book becoming a featured selection of the festival. Featured speaker, and "More Than Witnesses" contributing writer, Gene Matthews of Iowa City, presented at 4pm on October 3rd in the Fellowship Hall of First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Avenue, at an event co-sponsored by the church, the UN Association-USA of Dane County, and The Progressive Magazine. This website was originally designed to promote that event, and has now been adapted for use as an ongoing resource.

Eight South Korean men, accused of the capital crime of listening to a North Korean radio broadcast, await trial in April 1975.

Please follow the two links below for compelling accounts written in recent years in reaction to the vindication of the eight men falsely accused of treason in a 1975 show trial, an event central to the history described in the book "More Than Witnesses...."

" I have not done anything but object to the Yushin establishment. Why should I die on a false charge?"

--Death row inmate Mr. Lee Su-Byeong, one of eight who had been sentenced to death on charges of "forming a People Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Commission" that allegedly represented a security threat to the South Korean government. The Yushin establishment was a series of draconian laws that severely curtailed civil liberties in the name of national security. His words were never recorded, in a trial where evidence was fabricated, and testimony rewritten for the official record. Two decades later, the Korean government finally admitted that no such organization had ever existed.

Like his colleague, United Methodist missionary George Ogle, Catholic priest James Sinnott was expelled from South Korea by the military regime in 1975 in retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of eight Korean men wrongly accused of treason, an experience he writes about in "More Than Witnesses."

Below is a poem written by Fr. Jim Sinnott, offering his reflections following a visit by the families of those executed, as he marked his 80th birthday last year.

Summer Solstice, June 2009

Write it down
Before it goes away:
Eleven people sitting round a table
Out on a lawn under a tree
Here where I live now,
Remembering the things we did,
Attempts against some things
Happening here in South Korea
More than thirty years ago:
Men falsely accused, jailed unfairly –
One of them, eight years imprisoned,
Sitting next to me and
The widow of another
Sitting at my other side.

We are gathered here today
Because I’ve just turned eighty,
A thing impossible to dream of
In one’s early years,
As impossible as the events
That happened here in South Korea
More than thirty years ago,
Events that knit us into one,
An inseparable fabric
Labeled by security police
The “In hyek dang”
The Peoples’ Revolutionary Party,
That phony dictator’s concoction,
That lie that changed our lives
And made widows of these women
As well as years-long prisoners
Of twenty other men.
Eight men were hanged
One early morning, an evil solstice
More than thirty years ago, nine April,
When for us the sun stood still,
A day declared “Black day
In the history of jurisprudence”
By the lawyers of the world;

A day etched in the memory of my guests today,
Gathered round this table
On the lawn outside my house
For an eightieth birthday celebration,
An occasion no young person
Of my generation gives much thought to,
Anymore than one would plan
To be involved with
Murderous judicial decisions,
Torture of the chosen victims
Who were innocent of any crime,
As an apologetic nation
Finally admitted -
Thirty years too late.

And so we gather at this table
And reminisce
About the ways we tried to fight
Those terrible decisions
And we sing again the songs we sang
As we paraded on the streets,
Breaking the “peaceful order” laws
Of those dark times of martial law;
Eleven men and women sitting at a table,
On this day, this summer solstice,
Remembering, together,
Before we also go away.

Former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung on "More Than Witnesses"

"The stories told in 'More than Witnesses' reflect the sacrifices and dedication of a small group of missionaries who aided Korea's democratic revolution, helping the nation put behind the era of dictatorship. It also tells of the courage of the Korean people whose lives exemplified the love and teachings of God through their strong religious commitments....

"These foreigners with 'hearts of Koreans' helped lay a groundwork for freedom, peace and justice to come into full bloom like tenacious wild flowers...."

About the Presenter: the Rev. Gene Matthews

When most Americans consider the post-war politics of the Korean peninsula, they think of North Korea as an example of the worst form of tyranny, contrasted with the shining example of South Korean democracy. But it was not always so, as this landmark book "More Than Witnesses," chronicles in its anthologized tales of courage and integrity in the face of oppressive South Korean regimes who maintained power through violence, deception, and an egregious disregard for basic civil liberties.

Co-author Gene Matthews first arrived in South Korea in 1956 at the age of 23 as a three year short-term United Methodist missionary. Growing up in rural Iowa, he thought it likely that he would become a farmer, however he changed his plans when he felt a calling to missions work. He returned to Korea in 1960, where he and his Korean-born wife Insook worked and raised their family until their retirement to Iowa City in 1997, where they live today.

Gene Matthews' many contributions while in Korea included his support of the labor organizing efforts of the Urban Industrial Movement, and his membership in the Monday Night Group, a weekly gathering of missionaries that sought to illuminate for the world the challenges facing the Korean democracy movement in the 1970s and '80s. Matthews and a small, but committed, group of missionary colleagues refused to be intimidated by the threats of successive despotic military governments as carried out by the Korean CIA. These included threats of death, repeated interrogations, and threats of deportation (which were actually carried out against missionaries in two notable cases described in the book, and elsewhere on this site).

The courage of this handful of missionaries was put to the ultimate test when eight Korean democracy activists were railroaded into a show trial, and summarily executed, in April of 1975.

Courageously standing steadfast in support of the Korean friends in the democracy movement, they became allies of Korean democracy movement leader Kim Dae Jung. That movement grew rapidly, and two decades later, Gene Matthews would witness the inauguration of Kim as president of the Republic of South Korea. Like Kim (honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end decades of hostility with the North), Gene and his colleagues would be honored by their adopted home of Korea with awards recognizing their contributions on behalf of democracy and peace.

More recently, the Korean government finally acknowledged its wrongdoing in the 1975 trial and execution of the eight wrongfully accused men, helping to restore honor to their families, and eventually bestowing upon them a large financial settlement. In many ways, the events of those darker days have finally come full circle.

However, another recent change in government has turned back the clock on many of Kim Dae Jung's reforms, and conflict with the North is at a new high. No one can tell what lies ahead, but one thing is certain: this book chronicles the kind of courage and perseverance in the face of oppression by both Koreans and their missionary allies that will long stand as an inspiration to a younger generation as it seeks to remain vigilant in securing peace and retaining democratic freedoms.

As President Kim Dae Jung noted, in his endorsement of this book, "The efforts and devotion of the missionary community provided democratic activists, including me, a ray of light and a source of hope and courage. The inspiring achievements of these 'Foreigners with Hearts of Koreans' have helped lay a groundwork in Korea for freedom, and justice to come into full bloom like pretty, tenacious wild flowers."

More Than Witnesses (published by the Wisconsin-based Nightengale Press) is edited by Jim Stenzel, with contributions by more than a dozen missionaries of all faiths who share their inspiring stories in the first person.

Gene Matthews writes, in a postscript to his chapter, Things They Never Taught Us Down on the Farm: "These experiences have shaped my life. When I retired from missionary service in 1997, I had been related to Korea's challenges, struggles, and trials for forty-one years. During the same time, I had laughed joyfully because my Korean friends found unflagging humor even in dark times. And I had wept bitter tears because the Koreans had also shared with me their deepest sorrows. I still cry at times when sudden memories of their courage and sacrifice overcome me. Praise be to God."

For more information, please email QuinlanJohnL@aol.com or call 608-213-8409.

Endorsements for "More than Witnesses"

The stories told in More Than Witnesses reflect the sacrifices and dedication of a small group of missionaries who aided Korea's democratic revolution, helping the nation put behind the era of dictatorship. It also tells of the courage of Korean people whose lives exemplified the love and teachings of God through their strong religious commitment.

During the dark days under military dictatorship in Korea, this group of foreign missionaries, often at their peril, reported to the international community on the adversities and serious human rights violations inflicted by the dictatorships. Through these efforts they solicited international support for Korea's democracy. Some of them were deported by dictators, but eventually they were able to overcome such hardship through their persevering courage and spiritual belief. The efforts and devotion of the missionary community provided democratic activists, including me, a ray of light and a source of hope and courage. The inspiring achievements of these "Foreigners with the hearts of Koreans" have helped lay a firm groundwork in Korea for freedom, peace, and justice to come into full bloom like pretty, tenacious wild flowers.

Kim Dae Jung, President of the Republic of Korea from 1998-2003 and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

***

There are times in history when small groups of Christians take seriously the biblical command to "bring good news to the oppressed, and ... release to the prisoners." That was the case with a group of Western missionaries in South Korea in the mid-1970s during the Park Chung Hee dictatorship. "More than Witnesses" tells the stories, some never before told, of how this courageous group informed the world of what was happening. It is a challenging and humbling account of being faithful in the worst of times, and has important lessons for all of us.

Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners and author of The Great Awakening

***

This splendid volume is a collection of stories about Korean Christians and missionaries, a powerful example of contemporary witness to the faith. Knowing many of the authors personally, I was deeply moved by their courage and constancy under such cruel oppression. All who read these accounts cannot but be inspired.

James T. Laney, U.S. Ambassador to Korea 1993 - 1996; President Emeritus of Emory University.

***As an activist for democracy and as a spouse and sister-in-law of political prisoners, I am personally indebted to the authors of this book, who provided safe breathing spaces for us in the grip of suppression and who kept information pipelines open to the outside world. Their deep involvement in our struggle made them truly "More than witnesses" and shortened the number of years it took to birth our democracy .

In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, South Korean students nationwide began marching in protest of the dictatorship, and in support of government reform.

From 1998: Newly-sworn-in South Korean president Kim Dae Jung welcomes United Methodist missionary and "More than Witnesses" contributor George Ogle, who, along with Gene Matthews, is about to receive a peace award from the organization that Kim founded. Ogle received his Master's and Doctorate in industrial relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.